


Divined Romance

by marsoph00



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hermione Granger/Luna Lovegood - Freeform, In Love, Lesbian, Lesbians, Professors, Soulmates, Teacher Hermione Granger, Teachers, gay Hermione granger, gay Luna Lovegood, hermione granger - Freeform, hermione/luna - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-04 10:06:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18341495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsoph00/pseuds/marsoph00
Summary: Many years in the future, Hermione and Luna both travel back to their school, navigating the paths to love, teaching, and balance in their own lives. Will they be able to find each other or are they destined to be just friends?





	1. Office Gossip

“... And that’s the reason that when you look at the application of magical objects in the muggle world, you see alternate creations of possibility, probability, and even in some cases a complete denial of… what is… right before their own… eyes but…” Hermione trailed off, fingers nervously jamming into her pocket to imitate confidence. It was clear that her friend had zoned out, probably half an hour ago, and was now only staring at her intently with a somewhat blank expression. “... they create alternate realities...” Hermione managed to stutter this out, finishing part of her thought before looking away. 

She observed the small room while waiting for Luna to come out of her trance-like stare. It was a small office space decorated in the most “Luna” way possible: framed pictures of loved ones, magical creatures, and vividly colored art, a simple desk facing away from a floor-length window, and a large divination ball at a table in the corner. The room was exactly the way Hermione pictured it would be when she first met her. 

Her eyes continued to glance around the simple room before landing on the woman sitting before her. She was not sitting straight as she normally did. Rather, she was leaning back against her cushioned desk chair, her arms resting on her stomach, and her legs stretched out underneath the desk before her. 

The two women's eyes met briefly before Hermione turned her own gaze to the window. 

“Hermione…” Luna began, drawing the woman’s longing gaze back to her own, “Why’d you stop?” Of course she could’ve gone on for hours more about the influences of socialized magic on our society. They often had impromptu sleepovers or random three am talks that featured long lectures about the likes of culture, Social Magic scholars, and intense magical theory at Hermione’s request. Of course, the other woman left all the talking to her excitable counterpart, only nodding her head and murmuring meaningless comments in agreement when she needed reassurance. These nights often left the two women with a few too many empty bottles of wine and stiff necks the next morning. 

This time, though, they were in Luna’s office rather than one of their chambers due to some paperwork she had forgotten to do. Why had she agreed to this? It was far too late to still be working and they had been in the cramped room for literally hours (and without any wine!). Although, it wasn’t like either of their bedrooms were much bigger than the office, and that was the only other alternative. 

“You zoned out again,” she deadpanned in response, playfully feigning annoyance as her wavy and somewhat tousled hair bounced just above her shoulders. As she watched the younger professor frown, she felt a smile begin to tug on her lips. 

“No I didn’t, I was just thinking,” Luna mumbled back, her voice barely above a whisper. She was speaking somehow even softer than she normally spoke. She was a very tender woman; gentle, kind, friendly. But there was a side to her others didn’t normally get to see. The side that Hermione saw right now. Her short silver-blonde hair was falling just barely over her shoulders, her eyes seemed compassionate as always, and yet… tired. Her eyes were framed so beautifully in the light by her glasses, giving them the perfect edge of mystery and beauty. Her smile was what one would normally call ‘nondescript’, but to Hermione it was the most amazing smile in the world. Luna’s smile had followed her through her first teacher evaluations, her first awkward student interactions, and even her first academic award. 

Nobody saw Luna Lovegood quite like she did, and for that she often felt a brush of selfish satisfaction in her ability to captivate the woman so wholly and profoundly. 

Minutes passed like a dream without either of them realizing it. 

“Luna?” Hermione’s voice finally spoke up, seeming hesitant yet striking in the almost pin drop silence. 

“Hmm?” She seemed to be still lost in thought again, probably thinking about Nev or something. Luna never stopped thinking about Nev in some form or another. Nev was her large, well fed cat who she always insisted on calling a ‘kitty’ despite him being over two years old. Hermione always rolled her eyes and smiled at the sentiment, secretly finding it endearing. 

“It’s getting late and you know I have a nine am tomorrow.” With a sigh, she stood, making her way to the door and carefully wrapping her hand around the handle, pausing to look back at the younger woman who was still perched at her desk behind a few stacks of paper. 

“Oh…” Luna looked around the cluttered office before carefully tucking her hair behind her ear and adjusting her glasses in one fluid motion. She did it often. Hermione thought it was darling, but would never admit that to anyone besides herself. 

She swore, as she watched her, that she saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face for a brief second and then it was gone, replaced with a gentle pout. “Oh, but please can’t you stay?” She smirked, the sadness now gone from her features, knowing this ‘method of persuasion’ would always work on the woman. 

With a dramatic sigh, Hermione worked her way away from the door slowly, moving to rest against the divination table in the corner of the simple office. They had been friends for nearly two years now, and yet, thinking about it, she realized that she had only ever seen any form of divination from her in classes. It was strange, she thought. 

Pausing before carefully thinking out her words, speaking so slowly her thoughts were almost indiscernible, she began: “I’ve been going on about my studies for so long…” She hesitated again, something she only found herself doing around Luna. “Maybe you could help me... I mean, show me how to... divine something…? It’s just, I’ve never really been able to… I just… want to try it, If you’d want to help...” She was painfully awkward when she got flustered. Of course Hermione knew she was, and of course she hated it. Luna loved it. 

Luna chuckled at the blush covering the woman’s whole face, before standing and making her way to the beautiful crystal ball in the corner. She was a shorter woman, barely reaching four inches over five feet, and slightly larger than Hermione. But Hermione loved every inch of her. She was her best friend and the love the two had was completely unparalleled. 

She sat down abruptly, disrupting Hermione’s intrusive thoughts. Luna looked both confused and slightly worried about the dazed look on her face. Both of them shrugged it off without a word, the tension in the room now palpable. 

As she began to work, the entire world melted away. Hermione watched the ball as if her life depended on it, her hands only inches away from Luna’s. Luna asked what she saw but she could not respond. What did she see? Of course she had never been any good at it-- but she did see something this time. No she couldn’t. She could feel something, and see something. She saw herself-- happy; she felt it too. She could see a brief glimpse into what could be one day, just a small amount. Nothing else. Before too long she realized she could no longer see that anymore through the soft tears in her eyes. 

Quickly pushing the emotion back down, she smiled at the woman who had moved her hands slowly from the ball. Hermione quickly clapped her hands together to signify the end of the journey and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. 

“‘Luna, that was...” She couldn’t even finish her sentence, as she quietly wiped away another tear. Luna knew better than to ask what she saw. “But… I do need to get back,” Hermione said softly, a small, forced smile on her lips. 

Both of their faces visibly fell at the prospect of being apart from each other for a full night and likely most of the next day. However, they didn’t have much of a choice. The hours of commitment didn’t always make being a professor easy. 

After a short few minutes of saying their own goodbyes, they packed up their things and began walking slowly towards Luna’s room. While walking, the pair was able to hear the low buzz of the castle. It was one of those like-minded silences they had learned to have since the start of their friendship, one that they both felt a deep comfort in. Hermione’s breath hitched as they got to the hallway leading to her room, Luna leaning back against the door. She felt the sudden urge to lean in and kiss her goodnight, but she almost immediately shook her head get rid of the incredulous thought before she could act on it. 

Somewhat suddenly, with these thoughts racing through her head, Hermione nodded curtly and waved a quick goodbye to her best friend before half running, half walking back to her quarters on the opposite side of the hall. 

She was quietly cursing herself out on the way. How could she be so stupid? You don't think those kinds of things about your closest friends. Do you? She had not been this close with anyone ever before. Is this what real friendship is like? 

Walking into her small room, the absurd thoughts were still flooding her vision as she slammed the door and attempted to force them out of her head for at least the rest of the night. Maybe she could get to bed before 2 am. Maybe. 


	2. Walking with Nev

Being in the middle of the semester, especially the spring semester, did not really allow for a lot of free time. Hermione and Luna had not been able to see each other outside of school hours as both professors were buried in student assignments and lesson planning. Hermione was so desperate to see Luna, yet she would really never want to admit how dependent she was. It took Luna finally bringing it up Monday afternoon for the two women to make time to see each other. 

They were seated in the dining hall at school, away from any students who would also be grabbing lunch. Hermione was playing with her tie absentmindedly, not thinking too much of anything in particular as Luna watched her with a certain intensity. It had become customary for Luna to simply watch her in the time they spent together rather than to make pointless silence-filling conversation, though Hermione could tell the woman was deciding if she wanted to say something. Luna’s gaze didn’t necessarily make her uncomfortable, but made her hyper-aware of her body's every movement. Why? She wasn’t quite sure. 

“Hermione, are you able to come out with Nev and I tonight?” 

Luna’s breaking of the silence jolted Hermione out of her own mind. She very slowly lifted her hazel-ish brown eyes from her tie to meet her friend’s bright blue ones. She appeared to still be very deep in thought as she searched Luna’s face for any clue as to what she had said only a few seconds ago. 

“Are you going to come on my walk… with Nev… this evening?” Luna trailed off, repeating herself after realizing Hermione had not heard her the first time. 

This time the words actually registered with Hermione. She took a moment to think about the amount of work she knew would be waiting for her this evening, but then she weighed in her own loneliness and subconscious need to be around her best friend. Her need eventually won out as she reasoned within herself that she would be able to join them and finish all the grading that she needed to before her self imposed deadline. 

Taking a few more seconds to contemplate her final decision on the matter and compose herself enough to give an adequate answer she finally responded. 

“Yes, of course. I’d love to.” Hermione smiled, the joy in her voice obvious. She would never admit it, but all she wanted was companionship. She was definitely a cat person, despite the fact that she would have seen anyone else taking their cat on a walk (on a leash!) to be extremely foolish. She knew it always shocked Luna that she had not already adopted a one from the shelter as Hermione made a point to go at least once every month. Hermione, however, rationalized that she didn’t want to get a cat until she found ‘the one.’ 

The light reflecting in Luna’s eyes from the chandelier seemed to shine a bit brighter, but the glimmer was gone so quick that it was hard for Hermione to be sure. 

“Alright then, we’ll see you around eight?” 

“Yeah,” Hermione responded, trying to tame her excitement at the prospect of spending even part of the night with Luna. 

In the distance the campus clock began to chime, signaling to the pair that their classes would begin soon. Without much thought, Hermione and Luna both stood, pushing back in their chairs and slipping into their warm winter coats. Once they were back out in the brisk cold air they said their goodbyes and promised to see each other that evening. 

*** 

It was almost eight o’clock sharp when Hermione, dressed head to toe in her ‘most winter outfit’, as she called it, began her journey to the front of the castle. Stepping out into the cold, she shivered. She carried two coffee cups in her gloved hands that the helped to defend her from the extreme chill that seeped through even her insulated black pants. The contrast of the temperature from the castle’s warmth and the cold air outside caused a thin layer of fog to cloud her glasses. She would have pulled them off to clear them but it would have been far too much of an inconvenience, especially with the cold air hitting her cheeks so abrasively and her hands currently full. 

She muttered to herself as she felt the cold begin to sting her cheeks, letting out a breath of indignation as she scrutinized the unmoving castle door. Finally, she could hear Nev’s excitement through the thick wooden doors, his paws gently tapping along the wood floors as if to say hi. She was probably just as excited to see him as he was to see her; she was just better at concealing it. 

Hermione shifted from side to side in an effort to generate some more heat. 

“Christ!” the woman exclaimed, jumping back abruptly as the large door swung open dramatically revealing Luna, dressed in a costume that mirrored her own. Luna had a small smirk on her face that was half concealed behind her own hand-knit hat and tightly wrapped scarf. Her eyes dancing mischievously from behind her glasses. 

“Scared?” Luna’s smirk widened. 

Hermione felt her skin tingle, a slight warmth beginning to overtake her. Normally, she would question it, but any warmth in this extreme cold was welcome. Without saying anything in acknowledgment, rather rolling her eyes and accompanying it with a groan. Hermione handed one of the coffees to Luna then turned around heading to the sidewalk. 

Luna and Nev crunched on the icy ground close behind her. When they reached the sidewalk, Nev began to wander on the leash in front of the two women as they walked side-by-side. Their breaths mingled out in front of them as they made their way down the street, the white puffs contrasting with the darkening sky. Thoughts of reaching for Luna’s hand crossed Hermione’s mind, but she dismissed them as quickly as they came, blaming the thoughts on her need for more warmth. The two walked in comfortable silence the rest of the way down the street until Hermione could not help but feel the silence was becoming slightly strained. 

“Have you finished your speech for the ministry?” Luna inquired, almost as if she had read Hermione’s mind. 

Hermione, of course, had not even thought about it yet. She remembered that she had a presentation to travel to at the ministry very soon and she had not even managed to think about how long she was saying, much less about the speech she had to make. Well, she was not sure she wanted to spend the whole two weeks away from her best friend. After a moment of thought Hermione decided to go with the truth, “No, I’ll probably wait until closer to time to decided.” 

“Hermione, we only have three more weeks.” 

“Oh.” Hermione had not realized just how quickly the time seemed to be flying this semester. “Well, I’ll probably be there for at least a week.” 

“Only a week?” 

“Yea,” Hermione said, not wanting to elaborate on the reasonings that Luna seemed to be fishing for. 

Their attention turned back to the walking path. The ice had melted from most of the sidewalk, but with the night chill creeping back in there were still slick patches that required the pair to put more thought into their steps than normal. 

“I have something to tell you,” again it was Luna that had to break the silence, though this time it didn’t seem to have the same weight. “But, before I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out.” 

This sent Hermione’s heart racing, she was not really sure where her friend was going with this conversation and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. 

“I’ve heard this a couple of different places and I wasn’t going to mention it to you, because I know it will make you uncomfortable; but, I also want it to come from me.” 

Luna’s excitement was still making Hermione’s heart pound, but she also felt her adrenaline flatline. 

“Okay Luna you are making me nervous here, what did you hear?” 

“Alright, well… I heard a rumor… that you’re going to be honored with a speech because of your time at the ministry, during your visit there, and, basically you’re gonna be given this huge award for your contributions…” She smiled softly, hoping that the news would bring a smile to her face. 

Of course it did. Hermione’s face lit up like a lightbulb and she immediately stopped, picking luna up by the waist and pulling her into such a tight hug that she was pulled up onto her toes. They stayed like that for a while. 

After a few minutes, laughing with joy, Hermione finally let her go, patting her back and letting her down with a shy smile. Neither of them were very affectionate and this came as a shock to both of them, each of them pulling away awkwardly and pausing for a few seconds before continuing to walk as Nev began to tug impatiently on his leash. 

Despite the fact that it was relatively simple physical interaction that they had, it was enough to make Hermione’s cheeks glow a bright red, which she easily brushed off as her being simply too cold. But if Luna could feel how fast her heart was beating now, she may have pushed it just a bit more. 

The rest of the walk past as normal, quite meaningless chatter. When they reached Luna’s house again they made their way up the driveway. There was a moment of hesitation as the women stared down at Nev as if waiting for him to decide if Hermione would follow him and his owner inside. Unfortunately, Hermione, no matter how much Nev seemingly wished for her company, she was already planning for the mounds of papers she would have to be grading into the early hours of the morning. 

Yea, she shouldn’t stay. 

*** 

Hermione spent the rest of her evening grading her students' nearly countless essays. She loved being a professor. She had always dreamed about sharing her love of social magic, culture and the like with new people. Yet, she found that the miserable time spent grading almost, almost, outweighed that dream. In the end, however, she loved the hard work that kept her mind busy long enough to keep her from dwelling on other things. 


End file.
